The Lois E Womer Foundation concentrates its funding exclusively on animal welfare and sanctuary organizations, providing substantial unrestricted operating support to rescued wildlife programs. Grants are directed to a small number of specialist sanctuaries that care for primates, elephants, and bats, indicating a strong interest in long‑term care and habitat/animal rescue rather than broad animal advocacy or policy work. The foundation appears to prioritize capacity and operational stability for animal rescue institutions.
Highly concentrated giving: few, large unrestricted grants; repeated multi‑year or multi‑installment support to the same three core sanctuaries rather than one‑off or widely distributed grants.
Primarily Primates Inc, The Elephant Sanctuary, Basically Bats
Lois E Womer Foundation gives general operating support to a small set of animal sanctuaries, with recent grants reaching primate, elephant, and bat rescue organizations. Its largest listed awards are $140,857 each to Primarily Primates Inc in San Antonio, Texas, and The Elephant Sanctuary in Nashville, Tennessee, both in 2023. That pattern points to a funder that supports long-term care institutions rather than project-specific campaigns. The foundation’s grant list shows repeat support for the same recipients across 2023 and 2024, with amounts clustered around the low six figures. Primarily Primates Inc appears in multiple awards, including $125,416 in 2023 and $123,820 in 2024. The Elephant Sanctuary also appears more than once, including the same pair of amounts. Basically Bats in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, receives smaller general operating grants by comparison, but still on a scale suited to core support. Across the recent grants shown here, the foundation’s role is consistent: it backs sanctuary operations for rescued animals, especially organizations responsible for ongoing husbandry and care.
Animal sanctuary operations are the foundation’s clear focus. Primarily Primates Inc in San Antonio received $125,416 in 2023 and $123,820 in 2024, both marked general operating support. Elephant care is another recurring area. The Elephant Sanctuary in Nashville received $140,857 in 2023 and $123,820 in 2024 for general operating needs, indicating support for the institution’s day-to-day structure rather than a single project. Bat rescue and rehabilitation also appears in the grant record. Basically Bats in Williamsport received $70,429 in 2023, $62,708 in 2023, and $61,910 in 2024, again as general operating support. The grants align with sanctuary work, rescue care, and ongoing animal husbandry.
The foundation’s typical grant size is substantial: the 25th percentile is $70,429, the median is $123,820, and the 75th percentile is $125,416. Recent awards cluster tightly around those figures, suggesting a relatively standardized approach to support. The same organizations appear across multiple years, including 2023 and 2024, which points to recurring rather than one-off funding. The foundation is a Public Charity, and its listed grants are all general operating support, with no program-related investments and no individual funding.
$975K
$4.5M
$291K
$386K
Most grants fall between $70K and $125K, with a median of $124K.
25th Percentile
$70K
Median
$124K
75th Percentile
$125K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in TX.
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Grants in the recent list go entirely to U.S. recipients, with 100% in the United States. Texas is the top state by grant count, driven in part by San Antonio-based Primarily Primates Inc. Tennessee is also prominent through Nashville’s The Elephant Sanctuary, and Pennsylvania appears through Basically Bats in Williamsport. The foundation’s giving is regional, but the recipient map is concentrated in a small number of cities.
The recent grant record centers on animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations. Named recipients include Primarily Primates Inc, The Elephant Sanctuary, and Basically Bats, each receiving general operating support tied to ongoing care, sanctuary operations, or rehabilitation work.
The grants shown are all labeled general operating. That includes repeated awards to Primarily Primates Inc, The Elephant Sanctuary, and Basically Bats, indicating support for core expenses rather than project-only funding.
The pattern is recurring. Primarily Primates Inc and The Elephant Sanctuary each appear in more than one year of giving, with awards in 2023 and 2024. Basically Bats also received multiple grants across those same years.
Typical awards are in the low six figures. The 25th percentile is $70,429, the median is $123,820, and the 75th percentile is $125,416, showing a narrow spread around a fairly consistent grant level.
Texas is the top state by grant count. In the recent grants list, San Antonio-based Primarily Primates Inc is one of the clearest examples of that pattern, alongside recipients in Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY | NASHVILLE, TN | $123,820 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PRIMARILY PRIMATES INC | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $123,820 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BASICALLY BATS | WILLIAMSPORT, PA | $61,910 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PRIMARILY PRIMATES INC | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $140,857 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY | NASHVILLE, TN | $140,857 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PRIMARILY PRIMATES INC | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $125,416 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY | NASHVILLE, TN | $125,416 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BASICALLY BATS | WILLIAMSPORT, PA | $70,429 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BASICALLY BATS | WILLIAMSPORT, PA | $62,708 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
$123,820GENERAL OPERATING
PRIMARILY PRIMATES INC
$123,820GENERAL OPERATING
BASICALLY BATS
$61,910GENERAL OPERATING
PRIMARILY PRIMATES INC
$140,857GENERAL OPERATING
THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
$140,857GENERAL OPERATING
PRIMARILY PRIMATES INC
$125,416GENERAL OPERATING
THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
GENERAL OPERATING
BASICALLY BATS
$70,429GENERAL OPERATING
BASICALLY BATS
$62,708GENERAL OPERATING